Key Points
- Some Indian migrants are leaving Canada to live in Australia permanently.
- Australia ranks number 1 for its attractiveness to skilled workers: study.
- Factors including standard of living, job opportunities, family presence and weather influence decisions, says migration agent.
Not many people are in the position to make the choice Mr Singh did in 2019.
He let his permanent residency in Canada lapse in favour of a life in Australia because he believes the standard of living here is relatively better, opportunities are more significant, and the weather, like its people, is warmer and friendlier.
“I migrated to Australia in 2018 and haven’t regretted a day since I decided to live here permanently.
“This country has given my family and me a safe home, a friendly neighbourhood, a well-paying job and a bright future for my kids,” Mr Singh told SBS Punjabi.
Jaspal Singh at Niagara Falls in Ontario during his visit to Canada in 2019. Credit: Supplied
'Australia offers a better quality of life and job opportunities'
The 40-year-old, who works as a telecom professional in Canberra, arrived here in 2018, two years after he received his permanent residency grant through a skilled migration pathway.
After spending a year in Australia, he travelled to Toronto to activate his permanent residency status in 2019 and to determine if Canada could offer him a better life.
“It didn’t take long for me to make a decision. The quality of life and job opportunities are any day better in Australia. Also, I am a die-hard cricket fan, and the cricketing culture here is the best in the world.
“The fact that Canada is doling out visas so easily to attract cheap labour has impacted the quality of migrants living there. In addition, social media is rife with incidents of drug abuse, gun culture and gang wars,” he claimed.
Mr Singh said the Australian government's policies to contain the health risks during the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic cemented his decision to stay in Australia.
"No other country helped people financially the way the Australian government did during the pandemic. It was very reassuring to know that I had chosen a country that took care of its people when the going gets tough," he said.
The migrants giving up on the Australian dream for Canada Source: Pixabay
“I don’t think I can live through the brutal Canadian winters. I have heard of people going into weather-induced depression because they are forced to stay indoors for longer during the snow season,” he said.
According to the , Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a depressive disorder affected by the weather. It is most common in winter, and an individual can feel better come summer.
People with SAD make up about 10 per cent of all depression cases, the website states.
Weather is an important deciding factor for people shifting from Canada to Australia, says Rajwant Singh. Credit: ewg3D/Getty Images
'It is not a trend'
Sydney-based migration agent Rajwant Singh said that while the weather has proven to be an important deciding factor for migrants moving out of Canada, he hasn’t come across a significant number of applicants making a move.
“We have scattered cases where people have migrated from India to Canada and then to Australia, some even after living there for years, but it’s hard to say if this is shaping into a trend,” he said.
Mr Singh said decisions like these are individualistic and often depend on many factors, including standard of living, job opportunities, family presence and other socio-economic factors.
“I have dealt with cases where an elderly chose to shift from Canada to Australia because they couldn’t tolerate the Canadian winters, others shift because they have more family support here, so it’s a matter of individual choice,” he added.
Australia among the most attractive destinations
A study of OECD countries on released before the pandemic in May 2019 found Australia was seen as the most attractive destination for highly skilled workers because of its favourable labour market conditions and excellent skills environment. In comparison, Canada was fifth on that list.
Australia also ranked two spots higher than Canada for its attractiveness to university students, while Canada occupied the top slot for its attractiveness to entrepreneurs.
Attractiveness for OECD countries for potential migrants. Credit: OECD
“We loved Canada, its people, food and the weather. But there was only one caveat. My husband and I couldn’t find jobs in our respective fields, which prompted my husband to move to Australia in 2019, while my daughter and I moved two years later because of COVID,” she said.
Jasmeet Kaur Credit: Supplied
However, the 39-year-old said that while life is more financially stable in Australia, she misses the community support and warmth that isn’t entirely evident in people Down Under.
Canada might be cold, but its heart is warm.Jasmeet Kaur
“I will never forget the love and support we received from the community in BC. I think that can be attributed to the fact that Indians migrated to Canada a lot earlier than they started moving here, so they are far more established there,” Ms Kaur said.
She added that they might move back to Canada for their retirement years.
Rajwant Singh said pandemic-induced migration policies have also influenced the decision of Indian migrants thinking of switching between the two countries especially international students.
“There was a lot of interest among international students keen to move from Australia to Canada because they felt it would be quicker to get permanent residency there, which is valid to some extent.
“But at the same time, that is a minimal number. We cannot overlook the influx of Indian students coming to Australia after the pandemic,” he said.
Comparing the two countries, Mr Singh said both have their pros and cons.
“While Canada has better family reunification prospects than Australia, it also has more streamlined and shorter permanent residency pathways for skilled migrants. But on the other hand, there are ample job opportunities here, and the minimum wage rate is also higher than in Canada,” he added.
